Hello everyone, I am new to the forum and looking to purchase my first land rover (my dad owned an 01 D2 back in the day and then had an LR3, but this will be my first, and is planning on importing a defender from italy as his dream weekend toy). Basically I am looking for some advice here because there seems to be so many mixed responses, so I will outline what I know so far and hopefully someone will chime in on their opinion.

So here we go! Basically I am buying this as a second vehicle just for fun so this is NOT my daily, kind of a project to learn more about cars. I am new to 4x4 vehicles however im not new to offroading quads/snowmobiles etc (had my own quad since i was 5). Therefore I want something that is capable in the sand dunes (this is the closest offroading area near my house and i frequently take the quads there) that can tow a small aluminum trailer with 2 quads. I also am hoping to eventually take it to other places, like moab to do some easy trails, not really into deep mud or serious rock crawling. Now I am fine with doing maintenance, in fact its why im looking at a project truck, but I need to be able to rely on it to get me home. Also I tend to have a heavy foot, used to driving race quads so im a "throttle out" kind of driver haha. Finally, I am pretty handy with a wrench although I havent spent a ton of time on cars, mostly sleds boats and quads, and my best friends dad is a mechanic and owns a shop, so I have all access to knowledge and equipment (he is an amazing mechanic but never worked on rovers) and will be doing everything DIY that I can.

So ive been told from many hours of searching online that I should get either an 00-01 or an 04. Now ive heard mixed reviews about the 4.6L reliability, so maybe someone can chime in on that. Here are the upgrades i know it will need once I buy it: 180F thermostat, oil pressure and temp gauge, engine temp gauge, replace coolant lines and flush coolant system, have also heard about switching to green coolant but not sure what they mean by that, I know it will need a new front driveshaft that is greaseable, and ive heard that i should replace the water pump if its high kms, ive seen that its best to switch to 15w40 and to replace transmission and diff fluids, and replace anything else thats worn out (ill have it inspected before purchase) and ill be careful to listen for knocks and check for leaks before I buy. I also saw that the rotoflex couplings are weak so ill probably replace it right away and buy a spare so I know how to change it on the trail if I have an issue. I have also considered that running this in the dunes might make it overheat, so ive looked into adding the Saudi grille and possibly adding an auxillary cooling fan and oil cooler as ive heard these help.

Next is mods, the fun stuff! Planning on throwing in a 2" terrafirma medium duty lift and 265/75r16 AT tires on either the stock 16 alloys if i can find one with 16s or switch to the 16x8 modular steel wheels if it comes with 18s. (and yes i know i might have to extend brake lines and ABS and flip spare tire mount). after that id take it out and enjoy it, then eventually down the road go for a front bumper + winch and then a roof rack and snorkel and rock sliders.

Is there anything else I should plan on doing? Should I lean towards the 4.0 or the 4.6? ( i would love the extra power, but if its going to be bad then id rather stick with the 4). Does this sound reasonable to all the D2 owners out there? Anything else I should know? I have tried to read as much as I can but seems like endless info with varying opinions and different use cases.

Thanks everyone for your help!

 

Wow, excellent job of doing your homework about these rigs. Look for rusted frame. Just about anything else is fixable. In an earlier model you'll want to install CDL shifter. In a later one you'll want a better engine. Well, you're def on the journey. Keep at it, dont rush. Welcome...

 

 

thanks! and yes rust is an issue here in Canada so ill check for that, i forgot to include that i plan on stripping the entire frame and repainting with POR15 rust proof paint as soon as i get it, plus im a clean freak so after every dirt session itll get washed, and wont be winter driven anymore.

 

sweet, i have actually looked into those too, seems better than trying to mount analog gauges on the dash

 

 

Once you find what you're looking for...check the frame over thoroughly...especially behind the rear axle. Also, test drive for several miles, bringing it up to temp...and listening for any strange ticks, knocks, tapping, etc, etc. Look it over very closely underneath and under the hood, check all fluid levels, bring a code checker with you and make sure all lights appear when you first turn the ignition key.

There is a noticable difference between the 4.0 and 4.6...power wise...and some say reliability. Biggest factor is finding a rig that previous owner(s) have kept up on maintenance and repairs.

Thought l saw a nice 99 for sale here the other day, it was a lot of rover for the money...but l'm not seeing it now.
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Good luck, with your search.

Brian.

 

 

thanks, ill definitely keep all that in mind.

 

sweet job! i spent about 3 weeks sanding the frame and repainting it on my f150 with rust proof primer and paint (not por15) against the recommendation of my friend because I was being cheap, 6 months later the whole frame is rusted again... im going with por15 this time for the rover, it deserves better!